BAJA BANDITS; OFF-ROAD RACING IS DANGEROUS, BUT COMPETITORS IN MEXICO'S 1,000-MILE MARATHON ALSO WORRY ABOUT CRIME.(NEWS)

Byline: STEVEN COLE SMITH

Organizers of the 41st annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 are hoping for a slightly less exciting race than last year's. The drama in 2007 had less to do with the competition than it did with robberies, kidnappings and a bizarre helicopter crash that led to a deadly shoot-out at the local morgue in a dispute over a crash victim's body.

With 353 entries (as of Nov. 1) expected for the Nov. 21-23 racedown from 424 last year and 431 the year beforeno one at the SCORE sanctioning body can say how many dropouts are the result of the tough economy, the negative publicity that surrounds Mexico's Baja California or the race itself.

"This will [still] be one of the five biggest fields in the event's history, said Dominic Clark, SCORE spokesman.

But one crewman who competed last yearand won't this yearsaid he is taking a "wait-and-see attitude before going back. "I want to make sure the security is what it needs to be. That event is dangerous enough without having to worry about crime, he said.

On Oct. 14, the U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory for Mexico: "Rates for robberies, homicides, petty thefts and carjackings have all increased over the last year across Mexico generally, with notable spikes in Tijuana and northern Baja California. Ciudad Juarez, Tijuana and Nogales are among the cities that have recently experienced public shoot-outs during daylight hours in shopping centers and other public venues. Kidnappings, the State Department said, "including the kidnapping of non-Mexicans, continue at alarming rates.

SCORE chose this year's route with safety in mind. Rather than running the length of the peninsula as it did last year, the shortened, 629.74-mile route is a loop, beginning and ending in Ensenada, 65 miles south of the U.S. border. This is very similar to the 2005 Baja 1000. Last year, the 1000 started in Ensenada and ended in Cabo San Lucas, 1,296.39 miles away, the second time the route had gone to Cabo. That meant a long and vulnerable drive back to the border.